City plans to tear down DHHS building, add senior housing and replace DHHS building at new location

The Anchorage assembly has a packed agenda for Tuesday, and up for discussion includes a recommendation for a tax break to demolish the Department of Health and Human Services building downtown.

The effort, which includes multiple moving parts, started after multiple studies confirmed the current DHHS building needs to be torn down due to its age, obsolete electrical systems and damage over time.

The redevelopment project includes demolishing the DHHS building, replacing it with senior housing units and building a new DHHS building on the corner of Tudor and Elmore.

The project would also mean relocating the ASD bus facility, and building a hotel and retail shopping complex, on the site of the existing ASD bus facility.

The assembly memorandum, which will be considered for approval Tuesday night, calls for tax breaks up to $2.4 million on the senior housing project and more than $6 million for the mixed-use project, totaling nearly $8.5 million.

Assembly chairman Dick Traini said if approved, the project would bring in jobs and provide more housing options for seniors downtown.